


light a match

by unowenowl



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff, M/M, They talk, a bit of backstory on clover but like none of that is canon, love is a choice tho and they choose each other, star crossed lovers, this fic isn't canon - i've abandoned it a long time ago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unowenowl/pseuds/unowenowl
Summary: "What are you doing here?""I was waiting for you," Qrow replied easily, coming closer, still holding his arms up. He must have sensed the tension in the air. He looked soft in the moon's light. "Sorry, I didn't expect that you'd be brooding in the dark. Didn't peg you the type."Half a year after Qrow leaves Atlas, Clover finds him in his apartment.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 13
Kudos: 125





	light a match

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fabricsofteners](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabricsofteners/gifts).



> nobody asked for this but i wrote it anyway.
> 
> i have several wips but apparently that doesn't stop me from creating more one-shots. this is kind of inspired by 'Don't Leave' by fabricsofteners so I'm gifting this to them.
> 
> i just wanted to see more clover pining and a bit in love. it's reciprocated, obviously. it has quite a bit of angst, but it ends on sort of a positive note, don't worry.

The access pad to his room was casting a soft blue over his face. He blinked a few times, sighed deeply and then put his pinkie on the pad. A green light covered his fingertip before dinging softly.

He opened the door to his apartment and threw his scroll on the small table on the hall.

To say that he was tired was an understatement. He was tired and aching and lonely. Stupidly lonely.

He took off his jacket and opened the cabinet where he was hiding the liquor. He didn't drink that much, but he felt like today offered a good excuse for a glass or two.

Today marked six months since Qrow Branwen and his children had disappeared, taking the Relic of Knowledge with them. He had tried very hard not to think about it. But it had been a long and difficult day and he found that he couldn't keep the thoughts at bay anymore.

He couldn't stop thinking about Qrow.

He sat down on the sofa with a grunt, putting the glass on the small table in front of him. The moon could be seen clearly on the window facing him. Its' light was the only thing that gave him any sense of direction that he wouldn't spill. Along with his Semblance.

"That bad a day, huh?" he heard and in an instant he took out his Kingfisher, pointing it out towards his intruder.

"Whoa, whoa," came the reply, and it was at that time that he recognized the low rumble of Qrow's voice. Clover's heart was in his throat. The figure came in the light of the moon with his hands raised. "It's only me. Qrow." The light reflected off his pretty face, revealing concern. Clover exhaled sharply.

He relaxed marginally, but he still didn't let go of Kingfisher. This seemed to be Qrow, but he'd learnt the hard way that things weren't always what they appeared. Even if Harbinger was nowhere near him, he couldn't be sure.

  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I was waiting for you," Qrow replied easily, coming closer, still holding his arms up. He must have sensed the tension in the air. He looked soft in the light of the moon. "Sorry, I didn't expect that you'd be brooding in the dark. Didn't peg you the type."  
"I wasn't brooding," Clover said petulantly. Qrow stopped a few centimeters away. Clover relaxed involuntarily, looking at Qrow's eyes. He put Kingfisher back in place. Qrow lowered his arms.  
"How did you get here?"  
"Through the window. You really should have made sure it's closed properly."  
Clover's head snapped to the window. How on Gods name could Qrow have gotten through the window? Clover lived on the eight floor.

But he forwent that line of thought for more important matters. He could feel Qrow's gaze piercing through him. He swallowed.  
"Why are you here, Qrow?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  
Qrow looked away, for the first time looking uncertain. He looked back at him as he answered.  
"I wanted to check up on you."  
Clover could sense the doubt, the thoughts creeping up on Qrow, asking himself if he really did something good by coming. That took him out of his paranoid train of thought, as Clover was hit with a sudden urge of affection and protectiveness. He wrapped his hand gently around his elbow to snap him out of his thoughts.  
"Thank you," he said warmly, smiling. "Please sit down with me," he said, gesturing towards the sofa.  
He took the bottle of alcohol and the glass off the table, intending to store them away.

"You don't need to stop on my account," Qrow said with a frown.  
"It's alright," Clover said, "I don't need it anymore now that you are here," he replied. He couldn't see Qrow's face, but he assumed he was rolling his eyes. He closed the cabinet and camwe over to sit down beside Qrow.  
The light provided wasn't ideal, but somehow, Clover preffered it to any strong light. It felt safer somehow. Safer to admit things.

"I'm sorry I was so harsh," he said, coming closer. Their knees were brushing, "Things...have been hectic since you left, and everyone is a little bit more paranoid now." And nobody held a candle to General Ironwood, but he wasn't about to say that.  
"It's okay," came the reply. "I know we haven't exactly left things on a sunny note."

Clover snorted. Quite an understatement for running away after being denounced wanted criminals.

That line of thought made him sit up sharply, "Nobody knows you're here, do they?" he said with concern.  
Qrow huffed, "Don't worry, lucky charm. Nobody besides you knows I'm here. I'm an expert at that."

Clover let out a breath of air. "Good. Then you're safe here," he said, taking Qrow's hand. He wanted him safe, he didn't want him in any more danger. But he also knew that it was a silly line of thought, considering they were Huntsmen.

He remembered the last time they'd seen each other. He remembered Ruby's shouted words, the conflict he felt at hearing Ironwood was abandoning Mantle. He remembered hugging Qrow tightly before he ran away, holding him for a few seconds then whispering quickly in his ear, "Stay safe. _Don't you_ dare die." And Qrow had looked intensely at him, concern and regret clear on his face, before saying "You too." and running away in the woods. He had been left alone with an apprehended maniac and an unconscious Robyn Hill, waiting for reinforcements.

There had been consequences for letting him go, despite the fact there hadn't been any outright accusations. He had apprehended Tyrian again, but that didn't change the fact that Qrow wasn't caught. He still didn't know if Ironwood had been able to smell the lie or if he had just descended so deep into paranoia that he didn't even trust him anymore. The reason didn't matter anyway. Ace-Ops was disbanded and he was relegated to a lower position.

Even so, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Especially facing Qrow and seeing him whole and healthy.

"How are you?" he asked, looking him over for any signs of cuts or injuries. Besides his stubble growing in the past few months, he couldn't see anything else.  
"Fine, now that I'm here," Qrow replied.  
"Qrow...", he said gently, snapping his eyes back to him. Red eyes looked at him fondly and his lips pulled upward in a smile, before it was gone.  
"It's...rough," he said with a sigh. "We were really banking on having James' support, but now that we don't...we're just trying to find ways to deal with Salem. My nieces are really determined."  
Clover nodded. "I'm not surprised, what with having you in their lives."  
"I have nothing to do with that."  
"Still deflecting, I see," Clover said with a sad smile. Qrow rolled his eyes.

"May I offer you anything?" Clover asked, suddenly aware that he was a bad host. "Water, or food. Have you eaten anything?" he looked over him quickly, trying to see any signs of starvation.  
Qrow shook his head, "No. I came to...," he huffed, looked down, trying to gather his thoughts. "I left abruptly."

Clover nodded. This thing between them, fragile little thing that had been there since the beginning had been cut abruptly between them with no sense of resolution. Clover didn't arrest him, in the end, and Qrow didn't fight him...so they were on the same team, at least on the surface. But it was not enough.  
It didn't stop Clover from thinking about it in the dead of the night, tossing and turning and hoping that the weary man and his nieces were alright. They had wormed their way into his heart alarmingly quick.

And somehow, having Qrow in front of him, as vulnerable and open as he could be warmed Clover. All he could do was meet him in the middle. His hand cupped Qrow's face gently, thumb stroking softly the skin under the eye. "I missed you," he said, looking into his eyes. He licked his lower lip subconsciously. Qrow's eyes were drawn to the movement.  
"Me too," came the reply.

A few seconds later, both of them were drawn to each other, kissing each other fervently. His hand travelled down, grabing his tunic and holding him in place. Qrow seemed just as desperate, coming closer, his hands in Clover's hair, pulling slightly.

Any other time, he would have liked to do this properly. Take Qrow out to a nice place, woo him, take his time with him. It all went to window the moment General Ironwood declared him enemy of Atlas. Maybe it never really had a chance from the start.

But he refused to give up. He refused to let go.  
Eventually, they broke the kiss, but stayed close. Foreheads touching, they allowed each other a moment of breathing. It was then that Clover realized that they'd moved; he was sitting with his back to the couch, Qrow sitting above him. He saw him close his eyes, opening his mouth, and Clover felt apprehension rising up his spine.

"Stay," he whispered. Qrow opened his eyes. "Please. Not for long, just a bit."  
 _I don't want to let go of you yet._

Qrow looked conflicted, but in the end, he nodded, "Alright."  
He rose enough so that he could allow Clover to lie on the couch, instead of half-sprawling, then lied down atop him, head on his hands. He was looking at him so earnestly that Clover didn't know what to do with himself.

One of his hands found its place in Qrow's hair, playing with it gently. He thought briefly of the great works of literature that he'd had to study at the Academy, of star-crossed lovers. He shut that thought down. He didn't want to waste his brief time with Qrow wallowing over the fact he wouldn't have more. Plus, if he started to curse the Universe, he thought he might not stop.

  
"Tell me more about your nieces," he said instead, in a soft voice. The look on Qrow's face was contemplative for a short moment, before he spoke fondly:  
" They're really something else. They've got the optimism I lost somewhere along the way. Especially the youngest one. Reminds me a lot of her mother. The older one does, too, he's all the best that Raven and Tai could offer."

Clover quirked a brow, but didn't say anything. It sounded like there was more to the story, but he wouldn't prod if Qrow didn't want to tell.

Except he did. He told Clover about his former teammates, about how they'd formed their own small family, then they'd disappeared. How Raven had abandoned them, and how much later Summer was gone. How they had left behind two girls and a broken man, and a man who's believed himself broken for so long that he could ignore it and try to move forward. If only for the sake of the girls.

Clover listened. There had been moments when he'd felt the need to interject, to show sympathy. But he didn't want to interrupt, so he just focused on touching Qrow, expressing his care through such: Petting his hair, nails scrapping his scalp slightly, pulling at short strands of hair, massaging his shoulders, carressing his cheeks.

"What about you?" Qrow asked, after a few minutes of silence, when it seemed that he wouldn't add anything else.  
"What about me?"  
Qrow puffed. "Well lucky charm, you know almost everything about me, but I don't know much about you."  
Clover frowned. That was right. "Well, there's not much to tell, really," he said. "I have two mums. And a younger brother. One of my mums is a psychologist and the other is an ex-Atlasian Military. My brother works as a doctor."

Qrow smiled. "Ah, makes sense now."  
"What makes sense?"  
Qrow gestured towards him. "Why you're like that. You could be a shrink; and a good damn one at that. Working in the military, too."  
Clover smiled at the compliment. "Yes, I guess I learned a thing or two from Mom. Both of them, actually. Although it's not always easy. They read me too quickly." Qrow smiled back.

"I haven't visited them in a long time," Clover mused.  
"You should," replied Qrow. "You never know how much time you've got with someone. Cherish what you can."

The advice reminded Clover of their own predicament and his heart sunk in his stomach. He might curse the Universe after all.

Qrow looked over the window and Clover followed his gaze. The sun was beginning to rise slowly. "I really should go now," Qrow said.

Clover didn't reply. He was looking at Qrow, trying to memorize the way the light was falling on his face, and the exact colour of his irises, and the feel of his pulse beneath Clover's fingers.

He knew neither of them could promise seeing each other again, that this moment was all they could offer. It would be just more painful in the long run, otherwise. All he could offer was an echo of the words he'd said last time they saw each other.  
"Stay safe. I'll hold you in my thoughts," he whispered.

Qrow looked regretful for a second, before leaning forward and kissing him again. Clover could feel all the things that Qrow didn't know how to say. He closed his eyes and held him. He felt like Qrow had set him on fire. It went like that for several few minutes.

Until it stopped. He heard Qrow whisper something, then all the weight on his body was gone instantly. Clover's heart dropped. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. Qrow was _gone_. He got up quickly and went to the window. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere, not on the snow, nor in the sky. It was like he'd vanished.

He blinked fast. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't. He knew this would happen, and he knew that leaving fast was the best option for Qrow; otherwise he might have not left at all.  
Knowing all that didn't make it hurt any less.

He took a deep breath and turned around. It had been nice while it lasted. It was then that he noticed a dark feather on the carpet. Frowning, he bent down to pick it. It was either a crow's or a raven's.  
At that moment his brain kicked in, and he heard properly what Qrow had said before leaving. 'Stay safe. I'll try my best to return to you so do the same.'

He smiled, realizing that for once, the roles had been reversed, and Qrow had been the optimist. He took a deep breath. Qrow was right. The only thing they could do was move forward and try to do the best they could.  
And hopefully, they'd find each other again when this all horror was over. He tucked the feather in one of his pockets.

He thought about his family. Wouldn't hurt to visit them.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it. unbeta'ed so if there are any horrendous mistakes, i'd appreciate if you pointed them out. thanks.
> 
> also! the title is from Dust to Dust from the Civil Wars, because imo that's such a THEM song. Also I love tcw.  
> for some context, here's part of lyrics:   
> "Let me in the wall, you've built around  
> And we can light a match and burn them down"
> 
> you can also find me at queerpyrrha on tumblr


End file.
